The stunning moral collapse of BJP in Karnataka

The hi-decibel war-of-swear-words between the governor of Karnataka, H.R. Bharadwaj, and the chief minister, B.S. Yediyurappa, over the issue of the former’s go-ahead for the latter’s prosecution on corruption charges, has played out on expected lines. (So far.)

Lost in the thickets of ideology, party affiliation, and mutual name-calling and finger-wagging, is the life-source of a functioning democracy: political morality, both as a virtue to practise and as an ideal to pursue.

Dinesh Amin Mattu, associate editor of the Kannada daily Praja Vani, makes a much-required intervention in today’s paper on how the BJP has squandered the high moral ground. Translated from the original Kannada by Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi, and reproduced here in full with the permission of the publishers.

Hansraj Bharadwaj, the governor of Karnataka, may have committed a hundred-and-one sins in his prior political life. Every time the Indira Gandhi family was in trouble, the ever-loyal Bharadwaj may have dutifully trodded on a path, legitimate and illegitimate, to save his masters.

After coming to the State, he may not have missed any opportunity to criticise the BJP government. His frequent loose talk may also not have been appropriate for the high office of governor. Despite all this, can we conclude that all the decisions taken by him are ‘tainted’?

This, indeed, is the claim of the chief Minister, B.S.Yediyurappa, and the BJP leaders. Their constant refrain is that the “governor is a ‘Congress Agent’ and therefore his decisions are not to be honoured.”

How the ruling party has arrived at the ‘Congress Agent’ charge, we do not know. But if Bharadwaj becomes a ‘Congress Agent’ simply because he was a member of the Congress party, then are all the governors who were appointed by the BJP-led NDA during its six-year regime ‘BJP Agents’?

Wasn’t Bharadwaj appointed to the governorship because he has all the qualifications that the Constitution stipulates? If there have been any errors committed on that front, surely the BJP leaders could have brought them to the attention of the President. But no one seems to have done that.

Political parties raise objections about governors only when they are in the opposition. When in power, they do not hesitate to use the same office for political benefit.

The Sarkaria commission has made detailed recommendations on the eligibility and appointment procedures for governors. Why didn’t Arun Jaitley, who lectures now on the office of the governor, implement these recommendations when he was the Union law minister?

In independent India, disputes concerning the office of governor, painting them as them as villains, have emerged largely in three situations. First, while deciding on who has the majority after an election. Second, while a political party seeks to prove its majority during a ‘no-confidence’ motion. Third, when a government isn’t allegedly functioning as per the Constitution.

All these three contexts have given birth to several political crises, which have found their way to the courts. The main reason for this is the lack clarity in the Constitution itself with respect to the role of the governor during the above mentioned situations.

Article 164 of the Constitution states that the (chief) ‘minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the governor’. According to Article 356, the governor may dismiss a government whose functioning is unconstitutional. In shot, the governor will have to take these decisions using his discretion.

Generally whenever discretionary power is used, individual interests are the determining factors and since the political party at the Centre will take a decision ultimately, these decisions lead to political disputes. However, whenever it has appeared as if the governor’s decisions have violated the constitutional framework, then the Supreme Court has intervened and provided relief.

However, the present political crisis in Karnataka hasn’t come about because of any the three political situations outlined above.

Using the right to information (RTI) Act, two lawyers have collected evidence on the corruption charges against the chief minister. They have presented that evidence to the governor and sought permission to prosecute him as per the the provisions of the prevention of corruption Act, 1988.

In cases such as this, if the governor can verify the truthfulness of the evidence, within the limits of the powers of his office, and if he is convinced that there is some truth to the charges, then he may allow for the prosecution of the chief minister. This power is given to the governor by the Constitution and Bharadwaj has used it.

Therefore, the governor cannot be charged with either the misuse of his powers or of breaking the law.

Yes, the governor could have rejected the plea of the two lawyers. But the Constitution does not require the governor to reject such an appeal nor does it say that the governor does not have the power to approve the appeal to prosecute. Therefore, it is clear that the governor has functioned within the framework of the Constitution.

If he has violated the law, then there is the Supreme Court to question his conduct. Why do we need all these allegations, abuse, protests and the bandh?

There are other reasons for the governor to justify his decision. This isn’t the first time there are allegations against the chief minister. The Lok Ayukta and the Padmaraj commission, which has been appointed by the government itself, have already been inquiring into several of these allegations.

Even the State Cabinet resolution, which demanded that the governor not permit the filing of a criminal case against the chief minister, cites these inquiries. If there was no truth in any of these allegations, why would the Lok Ayukta initiate an inquiry? Why would even the State government appoint a commission to inquire into these allegations?

Yediyurappa makes two allegations in order to justify himself: that the governor is behaving like an agent of the opposition parties, and that the opposition parties too have committed similar transgressions when they were in power.

In one sense, Yediyurappa is right. He truly hasn’t done what his predecessors haven’t done beforer. But how will the corruption of opponents justify one’s own corruption? Yediyurappa, who occupies a responsible office such as the chief ministership, should clarify which court will accept that argument. He doesn’t seem to realize this allegation could be used against him as well.

If the previous governments had been corrupt and had escaped being prosecuted, then wouldn’t the Opposition parties be responsible for that? What will Yediyurappa’s response be if he is asked about his own dereliction of duty as the leader of the opposition party in the legislative assemby?

BJP leaders also ask why a third inquiry when two institutions (Lok Ayukta and the Padmaraj Commission) are already seized of the matter. But isn’t this something that the BJP government itself started? Didn’t the BJP government think it was improper when it appointed the Padmaraj commission to investigate those cases which were being looked into by the Lok Ayukta without even bringing it to his notice?

Chief Minister Yediyurappa is truly in a bind now. The noose of three different inquiries has enveloped him. There aren’t too many choices to retain power. He may survive for a while through protests, bandhs and allegations against the governor. But he will not complete his term by resorting to these strategies.

The situation is getting out of hand.

Political games may have no rules but within the parliamentary democratic system, the game will be played within the framework of the Constitution and there, one will have to abide by the rules. If not then, one will have to leave the field.

Unfortunately Yediyurappa has himself created such as situation.

Yediyurappa may try to retain his office by claiming that he is innocent until proven guilty. Legally, a chief minister need not resign simply because of allegations or inquiries. However, how will BJP turn its back to the moral question since it has always been talking about a different kind of political idealism?

When confronted with similar accusations, the Congress party sent home many of its leaders, from Natwar Singh to Ashok Chavan. Now, how will the BJP face the Congress with this black mark?

The present-day BJP leaders have forgotten that their own leader L.K. Advani resigned as the leader of the opposition leader because letters resembling his name appeared in a Jainhawala case diary.

What a stunning moral collapse/ decline of the Bharatiya Janata Party!

it is what happens when small people like shri. yeddyurappa get the reins — they are intellectually and morally not capable of recognizing the profundity of a people’s movement.

in karnataka’s case, the jd(s) and congress — represented chiefly by that crooked governor hansraj bharadwaj — have been responsible for inflicting a thousand cuts on shri. yeddyurappa without allowing him to govern in good faith. as a result, a cornered yeddy has been forced to do worse and worse things, getting him in the present predicament.

i hope shri. yeddyurappa is prosecuted along with his disgusting predecessor, shri. h.d. kumaraswamy, and every other forner chief minister, going up to shri. nijalingappa, that denotified government land to favor vested parties.

excellent article… BJP always claims to be clean, while it has no control over its party men and is the same party that has been involved in tehelka, while Tehelka happened, BJP went for the kill instead of punishing the culprits. same goes with Yeddy, BJP just cannot ask Yeddy to leave. Congress and other parties atleast have some control over their party men, if found guilty they are shown door while BJP encourage the corrupt! such a Disgrace! I cant believe I voted for BJP.

When we have jokers all along the long party chain, what else can we expect. BJP lost a golden chance to prove that they are a party with a difference. They had a golden opportunity and they simply blew it.

Dinesh Amin Mattu has continued to be dispassionate in his views. He has rightly pointed out what youngsters like me are feeling about the BJP. This is the party which gave us a feeling of being a party with a difference when our generaton started to exercise franchise two decades ago. Now there is no difference between the BJP and the Congress

Ok. Now I can count one more voice of dissent in Karunadu and spin meisters of BJP have to revise their claim of 5.5 crore Kannadigas solidly behind Yeddy in calling for a Bandh and burning of buses amongst other small things such as hearts.

But what’s more incredible is the moral bankruptcy of people like us on this board. Is love really that blind?

Good analysis otherwise. But who plays by the rule of the game in the present day politics, the national and state? The high priestess of Congress has no qualms in throwing the principle to the winds to suit the exigencies and so have been the Marxists, the BJP and all others of the ilk. Mr Devegowda takes a high moral ground when it comes to others but for himself any means is good enough to achieve the ultimate.
The name of the game is power and all others are secondary. Politicians are immune to any voice of reason and decency in their quest for power. Yeddyurappas and Bharadwajs are no exceptions.

starting from day 1, yeddy has been troubled. He is definitely a man of dreams who faltered by making some “open” dealings which may be miniscule in front of his predecessors. But I hope, BJP revitalises and revisits itself before degrading further becos i am not able to find any other alternative

Dinesh Amin is a permanent anti-establishment as long as that establishment is BJP.

Amin has no moral right to criticize BJP considering he is very close to S M Krishna…. Amin has lost all his credibility after his stint in New Delhi where he was almost confused for Congress office boy because he spent so much time there hanging with likes of Hariprasad BK, Oscar, Krishna and Moily.

Churumuri deserves kudos for posting Dines Amin Mattu’s column, which is quite popular among readers of Prajavani. He has rightly pointed out flaws on BJP side while reviewing the present crisis in Karnataka. Mattu is assistant editor with Prajavani. Because he writes in Kannada, his writings are not popular in non-Kannada speaking world. Had he been in English journalism and written this column he would have been considered among foremost political commentators of the country.
The disappointing and most appalling development is that Prajavani does not stand by the views of Mattu’s views on present political crisis in Karnataka. The editorial which appeared adjacent to Mattu’s column on Monday, expressed a view which is diagonally opposite to Mattu. This can be viewed as the newspaper organisation has an agenda to disown to its own columnist’s views. Padmaraja Dandavati, who is associate editor (above Mattu in hierarchy) has a column on Sundays. In his column, appeared on Jan 23, he criticised Governor in strong words and refuses to record corrupt practices of the chief minister even a bit.

Every one is talking about De-notification and the illegality of it. But what does it actually mean ?

In the first place a land in question belongs to X. Government notifies it under Land acquisition Act and then the matter drags for years. The fact remains Government has not become the owner. As always in all acts of Eminent Domain the if one’s property is notified, no Indian any where would like to part as the compensation is far below the actual market value and by the time the court decides market value would have become astronomically high.

So the owner bribes the bureaucrat/politician nexus and decides that piece of property is not actually required for the project in question and de-notifies.

But what is wrong ? The whole issue of Notification is immoral and is a tool for harassment. Unless something is done to set right the process of Notification is made rational and the BDA/Muda etc stoops making a Y rich at the cost of X, this things will continue.

If de-notification is wrong then one can argue by repealing of Urban Land Ceiling act state lost trillions in Bangalore alone. But the Truth is in the name of Eminent domain Governments of day are cheating the citizen.

Apart from defending the indefensible in Karnataka, the BJP is now attempting to divert attention by staging a tamasha in J & K. Don’t they have the sense on what issues to raise – food prices to name one ? But then what can you say about a bunch which still carries the Rath yatra complex!

Mr Bharadwaj is not suitable for a impartial constitutional post of Govoernor is not only known to you the Author and me the reader
but almost any one who know abcd of politics and moral. He never
tried to show it otherwise also. He even went ahead claiming that
despite being the consitutional authority of a Governor, who must
be apolitical, he is a congress man. They what is your doubt in it
when he dont have a doubt. And how foolish it is to write such a
lengthy article to paint things otherwise and justify his action about
the chief minister. No one will dispue that Mr Yediyurappa must be
punished if he or any one did anyhing wrong or criminal. That is
not just the question here in this case. A chief minister or any one
individual is not that important for such a vast country or even his
deeds or misdeeds when you compare that with a post of a
Governor, who must be above politics, and who is vested with the
powers to vote against the will of the power with his one letter
and signature. Nation spent crores of rupees, time, effort, and
many other things to conduct a election and people who think voting
is one of the most powerful only tool with them cast their votes and
select a government and thereby a CM to conduct rule. If that CM
or any other reponsible in the government break the rule there is
a way of setting it right by judicial or many other, but not by a
signature and wish and will of someone already suspected by most
of the citizens as biased towards a interested politcal party.
We do not have any like or dislike for this CM or Governor, but we
like our nation and democracy. When almost all the Chief Ministers
who were governing the state for many years continuously did something
good or bad and they were allowed to do so, sigling someone for
ulterior motive and demonising him is not a decent act on the part of
any one just because these are the people of another opposition party
members. Parties are many here, but nation is one and democracy
is not for one party or one CM or one Governor. All must act not
only impartially but also their act must be visible so. BJP alone has
not at all lost its moral ground, but every one including the party at
the centre, their reprresentative who vitiated the atmosphere
intentionally for a motive, and also every other party who made a
hue and cry about the land scam when all their CMs had done
exactly done the same thing – some did more areas of land, others
may be little less. BUT ALL OF YOU DID IT AND IT IS ON RECORD
AND NEWS HAVE ALREADY APPEARED THAT CASES ARE BEING FILED
AGAINST ALL OF YOU. Let everyone including the present CM
face the jutice.

Denotifying a land is not illegal. But denotifying the land in favour of the kith and kin is illegal. The previous CM’s smartly did the work without getting caught; but the current CM denotified the land favouring his sons and son-in laws without even thinking for a second. This has put him in a situation where getting out of this mess seems to be impossible. He may continue as CM, but at every step he has face the music of opposition and this will bring his confidence and esteem to very low level. He might show himself as strong person, but internally he is totally collapsed.

BJP indeed has proved that it is a party different than others. It has beat all other previous Governments in scandals, corruption and nepotism. To top it, the BJP at the national level is backing it. Moral collapse is not just at BJP State level, but also at national-level.

Agreed that the BJP has lost its moral fibre. Agreed that Yeddy is a sleazy character. But the prosecution permission granted without any basis sets a trend, which may backfire one day on the Congress. Just one day before, Guv was wailing that he hadn’t got the documents! Did he really study, analyse and come to a conclusion within a day! If thats the case, we need no courts, let HR Bharadwaj deal with all cases in this state. All backlog cases will be closed within a month!

The CAG has indicted Raja and going by the logic that the PM is the head of the cabinet and collective responsibility is the basis, if someone petitions Rashtrapathiji, will she grant permission to prosecute MMS? Mark my words, one day this will boomerang on the Congress, when a BJP Governor sanctions prosecution on a Congress CM using Bhardwaj’s precedent.

ROFL at Simple’s comment. Congress and moral decency!!! Ha ha ha, hilarious. You have a great sense of humour.

1) How will the corruption of opponents justify Yediyurappa’s corruption?

2) If the previous governments had been corrupt and had escaped being prosecuted, then wouldn’t the Opposition parties (BJP) be responsible for that? What will Yediyurappa’s response be if he is asked about his own dereliction of duty as the leader of the opposition party in the legislative assemby?

BJP-NDA appointed governors were ramajois , chaturvedi etc ….. who brought high dignity to office of governor and made their 1st tatement as “not a poppet of anybody” , they adviced the CMs whenever required and cooperated well for the wamth of govt activities ……….. never indulged in hate speaches against the CM as done by Bharadwaj …….. if he is not a congress agent let him resign ….but he wouldnt as he has been instructed by “10 janpath” to demolish the development of karnataka …. we are no 1 in financial management….performance nased evaluation of central govt says we stand no 2……. our CM Yeddy got 5lakh crore investment which even Mammohan singh nor chidu have done in 7 year tenure,,,,,,, though we are in political instabiliy from a year we have parallel progress and development contributed by state govt ,,,,,,,,, he has to be recalled immediately

1.75 lakh crore loss is notional. Even so, it can be recovered through auction.

But what about the 50,000 crore mining scam in my bellary?
the 100,000 crore land scam of bjp in my state?

Not just the scale of BJP’s corruption much larger, but they are pushing my state to the brink of anarchy a la egypt – because like that Hosni Mubarrak, my Chief Minister too refuses to resign because he has tacit support of bjp low command.

>>1.75 lakh crore loss is notional. Even so, it can be recovered through auction.>>

According to Kapil Sibal..what the heck it is downright incorrect as per this ambulance chaser. Why should there be reauctioning of the 2G spectrum again? All the remains now is to get back the loot from the Numero Uno family. For those of you who are interested the Attorney General representing the central government has committed a perjury in the supreme court (yes the same supreme court..simple anna wants us all to respect) by stating that the GOI was unaware of the involvement of the present CVC thomas in the palm oil scam during his appointment as CVC, which amounts to lying. Sushma Swaraj has stated that she brought this up with the PM and Home Minister during the decision making process and will file a affidavit before the supreme court to this effect. So there we have it again ….KKaaangress is the only honest party left in this counrty ;)

Make no mistake, Yeddy is a crook- a stupid crook at that and worse a sentimental and stupid crook. However if the majority of voters in karnataka decide they have had enough of him they can throw him out at the end of his term – as they threw out Gundu Rao and many others in the past.

But to compare the non-refusal of a democratically elected CM to go in response to media trials to a dictator who had reigned for three decades and intends to till he drops dead trivialises the suffering and uprising by Egypt and can be made only by a simple minded person.

Sorry Mounaprasad, I never said Yeddy HAS to Go. At least not until either there is a viable and better alternative ( and I see none) or the BJP can be forced to call for mid-term elections. As stupid and foolish as it seems now the will of the people has to prevail.

What is happening in Egypt is a warning call to those who can hear in all countries all over world. There is only so much that the disenfranchised can take, while watching the elite live in obscene affluence in their midst. Free saaris, bicycles, and what governments, unaware of the irony, call “schemes” will keep the populace quiet only as long as they are kept politically illiterate.
It is time that we stopped making fun of the alleged ignorance of immigrants to our state. How bright are we if we are not troubled by a chief minister who says he will not visit the places that won’t support his party and who says he is no more corrupt than other politicians?

Gaby is right. This chief minister is a humba in every sense of the term.

Simple my good man,
You should restrict yourself to ‘ vandhi-maagada’ ship. The decision of leadership is for the Karnataka legislative party of the BJP to decide. That is how parliamentary democracy works. You do have the option of creating a revolution a la Tunisia and Egypt.

In my view Yeddy is a dastardly character but no more than the bhavya parampare of CMs we have had over the past 2 decades ( at least).

BTW my simple man, what improvement did the Vilas rao deshmukh to Ashok Chavan change bring to Maharashtra. Wait for a couple of years and let the aaru koti Karnataka vaasis decide. The mining losses and the land losses you agonise about will happen regardless of any change or no change. Now bring out your armamnetarium of personal invective a la Deve Gowda ( Who used to belong to the Congress in Obi Raayana kaala)

The decision of leadership is NOT for the karnataka legislative party of BJP to decide. The BJP low command decides it. But hamstrung by vote bank politics, they are unable to sack Yeddi. And passive people like you, want this stalemate to continue.

It took Sonia Gandhi 10 minutes to sack Ashok Chavan. But the low command of BJP shows no such decency to listen to media and public opinion.

Silent supporters like Gaby are also responsible for enduring people like Yeddi, by saying there is no alternative.

I am really amused by the Prajavani article. The governor of Karnataka is a Congress stooge who is capable of being a trouble maker the best. Thee are few honest men in each political party and majority in all parties are corrupt including Congress. The kind of stricture passed by SC on various government ministries if taken into account while hearing 2G case, all UPA ministers should have committed suicide in public by this time. Three years the government supported and covered the ass and face of these thugs and today we have no option than to reject all these politicians. Do not believe them….they are all capable of sleeping with their mothers and others mothers as well. No politicalparty or politician can claim high moral ground. Ask me I will tell you who sleeps with whom in Indian politics both at Delhi and Karnataka.